Design and process optimization of combined medical and elderly care services: An integrated service blueprint–TRIZ model

Abstract

China's increasingly aging population is resulting in an imbalance between supply and demand for elderly care resources. The theory of “combined medical and elderly care” (CMEC) has introduced a new perspective in the conception of China's elderly care problems. This study employed the service blueprint, fuzzy failure mode and effects analysis (Fuzzy-FMEA), and the theory of inventive problem solving (TIPS or the Russian acronym TRIZ) for the process optimization of CMEC services in three phases. In the first phase (service process analysis), potential service failure points in the service process were analyzed using the service blueprint technique. In the second phase (service failure diagnosis), Fuzzy-FMEA was applied to diagnose the service failure modes and explore the possible causes and effects. The service failure modes were then prioritized based on fuzzy numbers and the cumulative fuzzy risk priority number (Fuzzy-RPN). Finally, in the third phase (generation of service optimization solutions), the TRIZ parameters, inventive principles, and contradiction matrix were first employed to select TRIZ inventive principles. The selected TRIZ inventive principles were then used to inspire inventive solutions for new service processes. Finally, a case study was conducted on the service processes of elderly care institutions to demonstrate the applicability of the optimization solutions.